On June 19 , police released a 28-second surveillance video clip showing a bald, white man riding a bike to the school and then writing things on the walls. He was wearing a dark blue Boston Red Sox t-shirt with khaki shorts. He wrote “Kill Trump”, “Left is the best”, “Bernie Sanders 2020” and “Death to Trump”.
Marks told police on June 19 he vandalized the property “out of ‘anger towards liberals and they are breaking major laws everyday and being disrespectful towards our government,'” according to the warrant for his arrest. He told police it was his hope that the vandalism would appear to have been done by the “Left”.
In the arrest warrant, West Hartford Police Officer Dante Ursini said Morley Elementary School Principal Ryan Cleary on June 16 said “students informed him that there were ‘swear’ words written on the playground equipment.”
Some of the writings said “Kill Trump”, “Left is the best”, “Bernie Sanders 2020” and “Death to Trump” and were written on the playground welcome sign, a tan piece of of playground equipment, a yellow concrete barrier pole, a playground bench and on a “Little Free Library” located on the playground.
Marks saw his photo in the news, called the police and later turned himself in on a warrant that charged him with third-degree criminal mischief and breach of peace, police said. He posted $500 bail. Police said when they went to his home to take his statement, he was compliant and respectful.
Marks reportedly confessed. He said that he found a Sharpie marker in the playground and decided “to vandalize the school with what would seem to be liberal hate speech.”
He said that he regretted the decision and apologized for his “stupid actions”.
Given that he turned himself in and apologized, what do you think the sentence should be?